Organic solvent exposure in small scale industries in north-east Japan.

Exposure to organic solvent vapors was investigated in 40 unit workplaces (with 189 workers) in 16 small-scale industries in north-east Japan (Tohoku District) in which synthetic urushi lacquer was applied to produce non-metal tableware (e.g. soup bowls, rice bowls), flower vases, home altars, etc. Two furniture factories were also studied. The equipment used was carbon felt dosimeters and a portable PID-GC (Model 10A10, Photovac, Ontario, Canada ; with minor alterations). Under the conditions employed, the GC could analyze benzene-toluenexylenes within 150 seconds. Independent of the sizes of the factories studied, efficient local exhaust systems were very popular in spray painting rooms. Toluene was the major pollutant in the workplace air, with small quantities of xylenes, ethylbenzene, and much less frequently, n-hexane. Exposure did not exceed the current occupational exposure limit in all the cases except for the two workers, who were excessively exposed due to the generation of dense vapors in automated spraying process. In contrast, the maintenance of drying process was rather poor. In the cases of the production of high quality goods, no artificial ventilation system was allowed in afraid of pollution of finished surface with fine dust, and the vapor levels in the workroom tended to be higher towards the end of the shift.